"HNA" 2003 Obituary

HNATYSHYN o@ca.on.york_county.toronto.globe_and_mail 2003-11-13 published
Edward James
HOUSTON
By Jim HOUSTON,
Thursday,November 13, 2003 - Page A28
Lawyer, judge, war veteran, "sports nut," father, friend to many.
Born September 15, 1918, in Arnprior, Ontario Died May 27 in
Ottawa, of colon cancer, aged 84.
Ed HOUSTON accomplished much in his life: He was a bomb aimer
in Lancaster bombers in the Second World War, a prominent lawyer
and judge in Ottawa for almost 50 years, and the National Hockey
League's first arbitrator. But it was his family and Friends,
not his accomplishments, which mattered most to him. Speaking
at Ed's funeral in Ottawa on a sunny Friday in late May, the
Honourable Patrick
GALLIGAN
(Ed's former law partner and long-time
friend) said there are "legions of people" whose lives have been
affected for the better by Ed
HOUSTON.
Ed was a product of his generation -- the people that came of
age in the "dirty thirties," served their country in wartime,
and then made their contributions (and let off some steam) as
civilians in a more prosperous post-war Canada. Born and raised
in modest circumstances in the Ottawa Valley town of Arnprior,
Ed left home in the Depression to find work. He ended up working
in a drug store in Schumacher, Ontario, near Timmins. There he
met a Torontonian, Joe
GREENE, who was to become his best friend
and my godfather. Like thousands of other young Canadians, Ed
volunteered for military service in the Second World War. His
air force days changed his life. In January, 1944, he was shot
down over Berlin, with five of seven aboard perishing, and became
a prisoner of war for 15 months (he escaped in April, 1945).
The veteran's benefits he earned through his wartime service
gave him the opportunity to attend the University of Toronto
and Osgoode Hall Law School, which opened the door to a successful
career and countless Friendships in the legal fraternity. While
at university, Ed met and married Mary
McKAY of Galt, Ontario,
and the first of their two sons, Bill, was born. In 1950 they
moved to Ottawa where Ed began his legal career as an assistant
Crown attorney. Later -- as a lawyer in private practice and
then as a judge -- Ed became known for helping younger lawyers
learn the ropes.
Ed was, by his own admission, a "sports nut." As a participant,
golf was his passion -- and on the course he was known as Steady
Eddie for his straight drives and sure putting. As a spectator,
he was an avid fan of almost every sport. Even in the final days
of his life, when you handed him a newspaper -- another benign
addiction of his -- he would still dive for the sports section,
and be lost in it for hours. On the day before his death, he
rejoiced in the Blue Jays having just swept the Yankees in a
four-game series.
As a judge, Ed had to make lots of tough decisions. However,
the decisions that got him the most publicity took place outside
the courtroom, in his capacity as arbitrator for the National
HockeyLeague. In 1991, Brendan
SHANAHAN became a free agent
and jumped from the New Jersey Devils to the St. Louis Blues.
Under the free-agency compensation regime then in effect, Ed
had to decide which player the Blues would have to give to the
Devils as compensation for signing
SHANAHAN.
WhenEd chose defenseman
Scott STEVENS (who captained the Devils to the Stanley Cup earlier
this year), his decision was greeted with a storm of media criticism.
But Ed never second-guessed himself, and moved on.
In a letter Ed received a couple of years ago, another friend
of his, the late Ray
HNATYSHYN, former Governor-General of Canada,
summed up how he will be remembered by family, Friends and acquaintances
alike: "Ed, you have served your community, province and country
with great distinction, and I am privileged to call you my friend."
My sentiments exactly.
Jim HOUSTON is Ed's son.